We recently explored whether GenAI now belongs on your stakeholder list. Spoiler: it does.
As AI tools increasingly shape how people find, interpret and compare information, this raises practical questions for organisations: what is GenAI saying about you, where is that information coming from, and how can you monitor it?
Google retains its dominance as the place people search online, but the discovery journey is changing. With Google’s on-platform AI Mode and AI Overviews, alongside the growing use of LLMs such as ChatGPT, Claude and Perplexity, people are receiving answers directly within the tools they use.
What is AI visibility, is it measurable, and what does it mean for reputation?
AI visibility is about understanding how your organisation appears in AI-generated answers: whether you are mentioned, how you are described, who appears alongside you and which sources are being cited.
The good news is that this is now measurable and trackable, including sentiment, competitor and peer visibility across the main GenAI platforms. New reporting tools can also support prompt research, showing what people are entering into LLMs and in what volumes, and allowing organisations to drill down into the prompts themselves to see brand mentions, citations and competitor appearances. Google is also reportedly testing dedicated Search Console reports for AI search visibility, another signal that AI search measurement is becoming part of mainstream digital reporting.
This matters for reputation because AI-generated answers can shape first impressions before someone visits your website, social media profiles or other online assets. If those answers are about your organisation, your sector or a service you provide, the question is simple: are they accurate, are you visible, and are you being cited as a source?
If not, the answer may be shaped by competitors, directories, media articles, review sites, Reddit threads or outdated content.
Why sources matter
AI-generated answers can sound confident, even when the source mix is thin, outdated or incomplete. That is why citations are crucial.
If an AI tool is drawing on your website, trusted media, government sources, regulators or recognised industry bodies, the answer is more likely to reflect credible and current information. If it is relying on old pages, directories, forums, review sites or competitor content, it may carry more reputational risk.
For organisations, source review helps identify not only what is being said, but what evidence is being used to support it. Are the cited pages current? Are they authoritative? Do they reflect the organisation’s current positioning, services and proof points?
Stakeholders may not always click through to the sources, but those sources still shape the answer they see.
Are you answering the questions people and AI tools are asking?
A key step is to identify whether your website is answering the questions people are asking in search and AI tools.
If people are asking about a service you offer, or an issue or category your organisation is connected to, your website needs to explain it clearly, using language your audience would recognise and evidence they can trust. If it doesn’t, AI tools may fill the gap using other sources.In the example below, SenateSHJ is cited for the prompt: “Are there quick tips to evaluate the quality of a school advisory service for different schools?” This shows how an organisation can be referenced in AI-generated answers even when the prompt is not directly about the organisation, but about a related service, issue or category.
An example of a ChatGPT response. This screenshot only shows the top section of the response.
SEO has continually evolved as Google’s algorithms have changed. The rollout of AI Mode is perhaps the most significant shift yet, with the practice now adapting to consider both traditional search engines and GenAI tools.
This includes identifying content gaps, understanding how your organisation is framed in AI-generated answers, tracking which competitors or peers appear for relevant prompts, and reporting on how their visibility shifts over time.
In practical terms, citations are becoming a new visibility signal. Clear headings, direct answers, useful explanations and credible supporting information are as important as ever because they make content easier for both people and machines to understand.
What organisations can do now
The starting point is a diagnostic: reviewing what AI tools are saying, which sources are being cited, whether those sources are current and credible, and where competitors or peers are appearing.
From there, organisations can identify practical opportunities to strengthen content, update outdated pages, address reputation risks and improve how they are represented in AI-generated answers.
SenateSHJ’s reputation and digital teams can help organisations build that evidence base, from understanding how they appear in AI-generated answers to reviewing citations, competitor visibility, content gaps and reputation risks. Get in touch to find out more.
